The Art of the Splash

THE ART

of the

by

KATHRYN O’MALLEY

Splashes, by their very nature, are messy, unpredictable, and irregular. But they can also be beautiful, lending an otherwise still photo a compelling sense of movement and drama. So how do you go about capturing a graceful, yet natural looking, burst of liquid? With proper timing, strategic angles, and a hefty dose of patience and practice. Slip on your rain jacket and let’s dive into the details…

DROPPING THE OBJECT

hand drop

Using your hands is the most costeffective method for dropping an item into liquid to create a splash. This strategy can produce a lovely natural look, but results will be inconsistent; using an armrest or a visual marker can help.

custom rig

Invite Geoff Binns-Calvey, special effects pro, to create a custom rig. This clever contraption will drop whatever object you’re working with at a precise and consistent location and angle—each and every time.

eyeing it

It’s hard to get the timing right, but with enough trial and error you can train your eye to estimate when your dropped object (in this case, berries) will hit your liquid (in this case, yogurt), so you can snap the shot accordingly.

laser trigger

A more accurate and reliable option than your eyes, a laser can be set to trigger the shutter whenever a dropped object passes it. Of course, it takes some fiddling to achieve the right timing, but once you have it down, the results are extremely consistent.

custom model

You can always cut out timing issues completely (and eliminate messes!) with the use of an artificial splash made from resin or acrylic. The one major downside? A single model can cost up to twelve thousand dollars, and once it’s made there is no way of adjusting it.